Soldier of Fortune: a Donnie Darko Tale
by rddrgn
Summary: Donnie awakens on his bed with the knowledge of two things: he will die if he doesn't move and Cherita Chen is in love with him. He escapes the clutches of death with one thought in mind: he loves her too. Follow Donnie on his mission to diviate from the normal path in search of true and honest love. Can he have a happy ever after? Or will who he is catch up to him? Read & Review.
1. Chapter 1

I don't own Donnie Darko or the characters or any of the theories that are associated with the movie. The plot for the story comes from these websites I found with scientific explanations but I warped them to suit my own need for this story.

The websites are:

. /explanation/

. /unanswered-questions/?post=true#blog

. /alternative-explantions/

I will give a brief outline here of what is going on with Donnie and why this all happens to him. Of course this is not a legit theory, just one that suits the story I want to write. Please review with your opinions but be respectful.

-Donnie is a superhero like Dr. Who but it is not fun. It is a curse and he constantly ripped from Time Line to Time Line

-his whole purpose is to save the world from TU created by any kinds of disruptions

-when ever he wakes up laughing it is because he recalls everything that he has ever done (including what it will all lead to -which is nothing-) and he laughs at himself because he doesn't know why he tries. But eventually he forgets when back in the timeline.

-the last thing that occurred (the movie) was different

-in every TU or strange occurrence, there is always someone who falls in love with him (usually Gretchen but sometimes Joanie) because he is the chosen one and because it must be done to save the world and they are manipulated living

-the women in his family know about him at length and know why he is so weird

-this explains why his mother is odd like him (she had the curse and passed it on)

-why no one cried at the beginning when it crashed in his room because they knew he was back from a mission but at the end they knew he was dead

-the reason the mother wasn't upset was because she knew he was going through deep suffering

-the only way it could end was if he died or passed on his gift, ( Roberta gave it to his mother when she taught her in school-in this story Rose went to that school as a child and was given the curse by Roberta which explains why Roberta wrote the book-and his mother gave it to him at birth)

-if it is not passed on it finds a new person to save the world

-the strange thing that occurred was finding out Cherita had a crush on him

-Cherita had nothing to do with the any of the plots and never was a love interest and never did anything to manipulate Donnie into saving the world

-the knowledge that someone could love him beyond his super hero qualities is what made him come back and relinquish his abilities

-instead of dying he rolls out of bed and only hurts his arm in the process and chooses to remember everything that occurred in the last universe but that is it


	2. Chapter 2

Without the stress of having to save the world the day seems brighter, normal even. Maybe I can go a few years without another Tangent Universe appearing. My mom told me once-before the Primary Universe needed saving in my time and before I realized I was the Living Receiver there-it only happened to her eight times; maybe the last thirty've been a fluke or something. As I walk up to the gathering if peers at the bus stop my eyes land on Cherita Chen. Maybe.

"There he is! There he is! Mr. Undestructable!" Calls Ron in a giant announcer voice.

Sam elbows my side and for the first time I feel myself actually blush and do some kind of goofy grin thing. For fucksake, I feel like a normal kid again. Sean slaps Ron on the back of the head while he corrects, "It's Indestructible, you idiot!"

Ron retorts with a shove and some stupid remark but my eyes follow the trail that Sam's hair leads to Cherita Chen. In her arms are her books and my heart, her shoulders are hunched inward, her eyes stare in my direction but I can tell she's not looking at me. I want her to look at me but not in this setting, not with my stupid friends fooling around. She looks to my sister and her friends and I wonder who she hangs out with. I never saw her really talk to anyone if it wasn't about some project. Did she have a comrade?

"Well, come on. Don't be coy, show us! Mr. INDESTRUCTIBLE," Came Sean's voice, piercing through my thoughts.

He means my cast. I lift my arm and immediately they pull out black Sharpie markers and begin to sign. It seems you can't just leap out of bed to avoid being crushed by a plane engine without getting a few injuries. I roll my eyes at my friends, "Don't draw any dicks or anything. My mom'll get pissed."

"Pissed or wet?" Ron asks and the chuckles ensue.

Samantha comes out of no where and to hit him with her bag and that's when I really laugh. I look at my little sister as I ask, "Do you even know what that means?"

With her faced scrunched she nods her head, "Yeah! It's when a girl is sexually aroused and wants to do stuff."

Sean grabs Sam's bag and this is when Joanie steps in to call us all stupid and immature. The way she acts and the way her hair bounces makes me think if this were a Tangent Universe she would be my love interest. But this isn't and I look to Cherita as my dumb friends continue to throw words like "wet" and "pussy" around. I would have told them to shut up if she wasn't making the sweetest face. She's biting her lip and jutting out we chin as her eyes turn away in the ultimate sign of discomfort. It's so adorable I have to keep letting them go, my own form of teasing her. It's just so nice to see her looking like a kid when everyone else is trying so hard to be an adult. I can't help but enjoy it.

"Hey, let me sign."

My arm is suddenly lurched forward and the Sharpies go flying over the tough material encasing my arm. I till my eyes because the last thing I want is a bunch of hearts and smiley faces annoying me all day. Originally I planned on painting something over it. I was going to sketch it out when I was bored in class but I guess all plans go out the window when girl's get involved. I glance down at the first heart and roll my eyes again.

The bus pulls up and everyone goes running to the doors except for Cherita who is always the last one on. I hold onto a stray marker that had been thrusted to me and take slow, careful steps to the careful girl with her eyes everywhere but on me. I ask in a soft voice so I don't startle her, "Hey, Cherita. Do you...wanna sign my cast?"

"Chut up," Cherita hisses, her brown eyes blazing in the sun.

She turns her back to me and storms up the steps, leaving mr broken and crumbling. My breath is gone, my heart is in my ass, and my stomach has gone with it. Is this possible? Does she not love me here? But I stayed alive for her, to love her. This can't be.

"Donnie! Get your ass on the bus!" Ron calls.

I shuffle forward in quiet disbelief. I plop down in my seat, in no mood to fuck around. I lower my eyes and that's when ago see it on my cast. Joanie's name with a heart over the "I" and her phone number under it.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: I don't know why the links didn't post but I'll try them again.

The websites are:

www. donniedarko. org .uk/ explanation/

www. donniedarko. org .uk/ unanswered-questions/ ?post=true#blog

www. donniedarko. / alternative-explantions/

My day at school is spent in a haze of wondering. She couldn't be manipulated living-well technically everyone could be-so why would she stop loving me? Did I do something? Well of course there was that thing in eighth grad but I'm different now; she's different now. What did I do?

I look down at my case and at the black bob that had been Joanie's name and phone number. I had wanted to make something nice of this stupid thing but leave it to people to shit on all your ideas. I glance up at Cherita sitting before me in the stupid Health class. You'd think with all the tuition my family has already to this place they could spring for better fucking chairs. Ms. Farmer is going on about Jim Cunningham, the pedophile, and what an honor it's going to be to have him at the school. If only she knew.

My eyes are on Cherita's back when usually I would be sitting beside her (Chen, Darko. How could I not see my name on her book?) but Ms. Farmer said I should take some time to observe the class before joining it. My eyes follow the length of her hair that is so dark and so smooth I want to grasp the ends and watch my fingers poke through the continual stream of darkness. In my mind's eye each lock produces a euphoric sensation on my fingers like coming back from a collapsing universe. I find my heart beating really fast and uncomfortable like I might have a heart attack or something.

I look away from her hair and the image it created in my mind. My heart cools down but my finger still tingle, along with that place in my pants. I shake my head and glance out the window.

"Is something wrong, Mr. Darko?" Ms. Farmer questions, bringing my attention back to the class.

I'm annoyed to have to look at her and her face that's always so angry and forceful. Whether it's God or Jim Cunningham, she's always shoving something down our throats. I shake my head once more, "No."

"You look troubled, do you want to see the nurse?" There she is again with her pushing. She doesn't want me in the class so she wants to force me to the nurse so she doesn't have to look at me, "I think you should see the nurse."

"No," I say in a stronger tone. All I want is to get on with my day after just saving the Primary Universe for the thirty-somthing-th time without any shit from anyone, "The period's almost over, just go on with the stupid lesson and I'll go on pretending I'm not here."

She doesn't gasp but her eyes bulge the slightest bit to hold in all her anger. She let's out a sigh and in a dismissive tone explains away my attitude. She shakes her head once as she falsely smiles, "I'll just chalk this up to your recent brush with death, Mr. Darko. I expect you to be a well-rounded individual by our next class."

I resist rolling my eyes. The last thing I need is to get in trouble and lose my after school time and one of my few classes with Cherita. I look to her again and notice while everyone else's eyes are on me she is still looking forward. That pain-that heart in my stomach coming out of my ass pain-is back again. I swallow hard and look back toward the window. If she doesn't love me I don't know what I'll do. Create a portal, maybe go back to keep myself in that bed and go squish.

No.

The bell rings and I stand. I can't be in this place any longer and time portals don't work like that. In fact I'm not supposed to know how they work at all. This time traveling thing is supposed to be like a dream. You wake up and go on with your day, then forget all about it. But also like a dream, if you hold onto it before and as you wake up...it's not the best thing in the world.

I watch as Cherita gets to her feet after most of the kids are half way out the room. My own friends leave because they know when I'm in this mood they should stay away. All that's left is me and Cherita and I think she's waiting for me to go first but I don't want to. Lunch is next period and I want to see where she goes and what she does. Maybe break into her locker and see if my name is on her book at all.

But the silence between us is deafening. I still have the Sharpie from this morning that I last used to blot out Joanie's name and number. I take little steps, but they still echo in the room. When I'm by her side I suddenly catch a whiff of her scent or perfume or whatever and it's such a strong thing, not that she used a lot but just that's it's dominant and womanly and familiar. It makes my heart thunder in my chest like never before, and I can't help but to swallow hard.

She turns her head the slightest bit and I can see her they're that are gentle and afraid. I find it so sweet how I tower over her and how she seems to have just realized that. I lick my dry lips as I motion toward the marker in my hand. This is stupid, so stupid, I know; but what else can I do? I lift my cast-showing off where I blotted Joanie's name and number, just in case she was upset about that-as I ask, "Do you wanna...sign my cast now?"

Her lips are slightly parted, pink petals surrounded by large cheeks that make me think of x-rated things. She shuts her mouth and swallows in an uncomfortable manner. She begins to shake her head but a rush of anger or something overcomes me and I grab her hand that is creating that shield with her books over her chest to put the marker in it so she had no choice but to sign but it all goes wrong. Our skin meets and it's like an electric shock so sharp and smooth hits my skin and she must have felt it too because she jumps the slightest bit and her books to flying.

"Cherita, I-I...," I try to apologize as I lower down to pick her books up and that's when Insee it. It's like that instant shitty blood draining feeling but the exact opposite, like blood is filling into me. My heart works so fast it feels like it stopped. A flood lets loose from my eyes and there is the tell tale sign of a moisture drop on the brown paper bag book cover beside my name.

I look to her, wanting to kiss those petal lips, but she is in a tangle of mess she fights to get out of. Panic is on her face and she scrambles to grab the books to do what I don't want her to-leave. I reach my hand forward to touch her arm but she jerks away and grabs the last of her stuff as she storms out of the room. I find myself quaking in what just happened and confused by my own body's response. Never had a girl made me feel this way. Never before had I wanted someone so bad.

I'm taken back to the first time I had seen the book. I wish I had those earmuffs. I wish I had those earmuffs.


End file.
